Making Important Changes.

I've been meaning to continue with this blog for a while, but up until recently I've just had no motivation to. However, recently I've been thinking about some changes I want to make in my life. I've been watching documentaries and YouTube videos, and doing research into animal testing and animal farming and with the knowledge I've gained, I can no longer go about the things I do in the same way. So, I've made the conscious effort to stop buying cosmetic and household products that are tested on animals, and gradually remove meat from my diet.

A particular documentary that sparked this decision was Earthlings, which I've tried (and still failed) to watch all the way through several times. I just end up in a sobbing mess, feeling ever so guilty. The above quote, "we must not refuse with our eyes that which they must ensure with their bodies", really got me thinking recently, about how I've reacted to what I know about the meat industry. I've even said the words, "I don't like to think where my meat comes from", and looking back that's not ignorance, that's just stupid and unfair. Not thinking about how my meat is killed, doesn't lessen the amount of animals killed. So, in order to show my compassion for animals, and to reduce my carbon footprint, I've decided to make some changes.

I think the easiest one is going to be changing the products I buy. I always shrugged it off, thinking it was near impossible to find cruelty free cosmetic and household products, but after only an hour's research, I've found it's quiet easy to get the products I love or need to use, that haven't been tested on animals.

I was pleased to find out that a couple of my favourite cosmetic brands, such as Natio, Wet 'n' Wild and E.l.f. don't use animal testing, but was shocked to find that other things, such as every single major brand that sells tampons, pads, deodorants and toothpastes in New Zealand are tested on animals. However, lucky I'm able to buy cruelty free brands from overseas, for not too much more than what I'd pay for them here. It isn't 100% ideal to be shipping things that I will need to buy on a regular basis, from the United States, but unfortunately I haven't found a cruelty free New Zealand brand that sells these sorts of essential items.

As for becoming vegetarian, I've done it before cold turkey (no pun intended) and it didn't work out so well. I didn't research what supplements I'd need, I couldn't get rid of cravings for meat, and I felt incredibly tired all the time. This time round, I've decided to gradually remove meat from my diet, starting with red meat and only eating chicken and fish for about a month or two (depending on how well I'm feeling), before eventually removing all meat completely from my diet. I'll also be making the effort to largely drink only organic milk and eat organic eggs and dairy products.

So, if you have any tips for me in regards to buying cruelty free and making the transition to a vegetarian diet, please leave them in the comments below.

(Disclaimer: everything I've said in this blog post is from my own research, if I've made any mistakes, please inform me in a polite manner, I'm still learning and researching! And everything I've expressed is mine opinion, if you don't agree, then we cool!)